


What If? Anakin took a Nap

by Countess_of_the_Fae



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: & a Nap, Anakin Needs a Hug, Anakin is so done, Crack Fic, Ditching Fusspots & Lazy Days, F/M, Fluff Coming Through Canon Cracks, Fluff Fic, Padme is the only one with any sense, Pan-awans, Papa Krayt, Papa Krayt Anakin, Scared Younglings, They Panic, cuddle piles, mischievous younglings, naps
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-15 17:00:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29687085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Countess_of_the_Fae/pseuds/Countess_of_the_Fae
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, Leia Organa & Anakin Skywalker & Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala & Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 27
Kudos: 87





	1. Chapter 1

Anakin Skywalker just wanted to sleep. In the last week, he had been hit with several mental Venator-class discoveries. First, the Chancellor now had enough control in the Jedi Order itself, to order the Council to accept them into their ranks. Second, the Jedi Council still didn’t trust or respect him; even after everything he had ever done to help them. Third and most important in his priorities, Padme – his angel, his light, his purpose for existing – was pregnant. Fourth and fifth were tied together: he had been having steadily worse and gruesomely detailed – and yet at the same time, vague enough to not show him what to avoid – nightmares of Padme dying in childbirth every night, and thus he has not been able to sleep at all in the last week.

He sighed and brushed his hair back from his face. Truthfully, he hadn’t slept well – unless under severe sedation – since the dreams of his mother’s death. He didn’t like being honest with himself, it just made him depressed. The thought that he hadn’t slept well in over three years with long stretches of time where he couldn’t sleep at all…

Shaking his head, Anakin decided that the first thing he needed were some data-pads from the Archives. He wanted to look up anything he could on childcare. As a padawan, he had learned basics on caring for a child, but nothing that would let him feel comfortable doing it on his own. Padme had a life too, she didn’t need to be a mother all day, every day. The thought was the parent to the deed. He turned to the Archives.

~ Sometime Later ~

Anakin leaned on a low-hanging branch of an enormous tree, in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. He had a pack with him, filled with data-pads from the Archives and a basket that held fruit, sweets of various planets, some jerky, and some bottles filled with various beverages and broths. The mouse droids that had followed behind him carried an even bigger basket with more food and crate that carried pillows, thick blankets and his first aid kit. This section was due for a lowering of the temperatures and he didn’t want to catch a chill. He was also planning to use the time stuck in the Temple well.

As Anakin had been checking out data-pads in the Archives, his comm had pinged with a message from Kix. “ _…And I don’t care how you do it, General, but you will not be like General Kenobi and lose too much weight! If you come back from shore leave weighing less than you did when you had your last check-up in the middle of a campaign, you WILL FACE THE CONSEQUENCES!!! Please enjoy your leave, General.”_ There was a way to slice five clankers at once: reading up on childcare to help with his children, eating something so he didn’t have to face the unspecified consequences, maintaining his arm prosthetic, avoiding the self-righteous pricks otherwise known as the other Jedi, and resting – maybe even a peaceful nap. Anakin felt like this was a good plan. No one would miss him for at least a few hours; at most half a day. He settled down to a relaxing time.

~/~

Anakin looked up from his data-pad with a frown. There were noises coming from the undergrowth just beyond the sphere of Notice-Nothing aura he had made to surround him. It sounded a lot like a little one crying. Putting down the pad, he got up from the nest he had made. Going to investigate, he absentmindedly pushed aside the plants to reveal a young human girl with scrapes on her hands and knees and a tangled mess of hair on her head. Three other younglings: a young Wookie – who was whimpering at what looked like thorns that had gotten snagged in his fur – a tiny Togruta – who winces as he tries to get the thorns out of the wookie fur – and a zabrak toddler that was crying. The toddler was the one who he had heard crying.

All four younglings had been startled by the movement of the plant-life. Now they huddled together and looked up at him. Anakin smiled slightly, keeping his eyes as soft as he could. “Where is your creche master, young ones?” They just looked at him, crying and whimpering quietly. He noticed that only the wookie wasn’t shivering.

He went up to them and as gently as he could, scooped all four younglings into his arms. With but a touch of the Force, he brought them back to his nest. They still didn’t say anything, but now their silence seemed to be from stunned awe rather than startlement. Getting his first aid kit, he took out some bacta-patches and antiseptic oil.

Anakin took care of the togruta male and human girl first, since their injuries would be the easiest to fix. The zabrak toddler wasn’t hurt, he had just been scared. The wookie still looked miserable, but Anakin had a solution for that too. After putting away the remainder of the bacta-patches and oil, he pulled out the brush Ashoka had insisted on keeping in the first-aid kit.

For the first time, since she had left, Anakin’s chest and throat didn’t tighten. She used to like brushing his hair while he worked on his prosthetic and he had never gotten around to taking it out. No one other than Padme liked brushing his hair and Padme usually wasn’t on a campaign with him. Now, the brush would have some use. Turning to the wookie, who was whimpering and staring at him, Anakin gently asked, “Do you want me to get those thorns out of your fur?”

The wookie looked at him then at the brush. He nodded and let Anakin put him in his lap. Anakin started with the fur on the poor child’s legs. Most of the thorns visible were concentrated on the poor thing’s lower legs, his arms, and on his back. It looked like he had tripped and landed on a thorny bush. As he brushed the thorns out, Anakin started to hum. Humming, he started to meditatively sink into the Force, using it to aid in putting the child’s fur to rights. It took him some time to get all the blasted things out of the still little wookie.

“There, all done, little one,” Anakin said. Looking up, he saw that the three other younglings were near nodding off and that the little wookie was no longer whimpering and was purring softly. When he stopped humming, the quartet looked at him with wonder and – the little togruta’s stomach growled. Lekku darkening, the young boy hung his head. Anakin merely chuckled.

He extended his hand and gestured for the food baskets. The baskets floated closer to the group in his nest. Anakin didn’t feel like getting up and disturbing the little wookie. Opening the smaller basket first, he brought out a few canisters of fluids first. Nerf-broth and Bone-broth were given to the togruta and zabrak respectively. A thicker bean soup was given to the wookie and the human. Anakin kept a hot water one for himself. There was a silence, one that was peaceful. The children were gulping down the fluids as he sipped on the hot water.

He was still sipping the hot water as he absently took stock of the area around him. Anakin frowned as he registered three other younglings scattered around this section of the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Putting down the hot water and setting the little wookie off his lap, Anakin said to the quartet he already had found, “Stay here, okay? I am going to find some more younglings. I’ll be back soon enough. If you are still hungry, here,” he plucked jerky and dried shurra fruit pieces from the basket and placed them where they would be more visible to the younglings. Getting up, he went to find the lost little ones. Absently, he wondered where the creche master was for this group. Feeling out with the Force, he stretched his legs out and began to lope off.

[Youngling Rani POV]

Sniffling, Rani huddled with her creche-mate Tamzir by the statue-fountain. It was a pretty fountain, but it wasn’t one that she had seen before, so she wouldn’t know where she was in the Room. They had been playing with the new padawan watchers. All of them had scattered and ran as fast as they could in all directions. Only, she and Tamzir hadn’t been watching where they were going and had gotten lost.

Shivering, Tamzir and she cuddled even closer. Tamzir couldn’t stand too much cold and the plants around them looked like they were going through the autumn season. She hoped that a Master or anyone would come by and help them get back to the creche. She hoped –

There was a noise just within hearing. Both Tamzir and she looked up to see a tall figure coming close to them at speed. The figure came into complete view and Rani heard Tamzir gasp and felt him shudder. She understood. Knight Anakin Skywalker was a living legend. If he took offense, they could be brought back to the creche only to pack their things to be sent away in disgrace to the Service Corps. They had heard that he had just been put on the Council just a few days ago. He was – he was coming towards them with a gentle smile and open arms. His voice sounded like a soothing lullaby, “Come here little ones. You look cold.”

Tamzir scrambled to his feet and stumbled towards the Knight. Rani was on his heels. They collided with Skywalker’s legs. A pair of strong arms gripped them and lifted them off the ground. Their legs automatically wrapped around the Knight’s waist. There seemed to be a gentle breeze blowing against them. Both of them shivered and tried to burrow into the warmth coming from Skywalker. The breeze stopped, but it was still cold.

An inquiring coo made Rani look up from where she had pressed into the Knight’s tabards. There were four of her creche-mates looking up at her from a nest of blankets. Knight Skywalker lowered them down and wrapped Tamzir and herself in blankets that felt like soft clouds. Tamzir was near dozing, he must have gotten too cold.

That voice came again, “I am going to go find the last youngling. There is food, drinks, and blankets to keep warm. Do not leave the area, okay?” Rani nodded as she started to warm up. Knight Skywalker got up from the crouch he had been in. He seemed to loom over them like some great statue of the old masters. Then – she blinked and whipped her head around trying to spot Skywalker. She spotted him in the distance, seeming to fly over the ground as he moved.

“I hope I can be as fast as he is,” a voice said. Turning to look at the others, she saw that it was Erikoni that had spoken. His wide green eyes were fixed on the spot that Knight Skywalker had last been seen. “What?” Rani asked. Erikoni repeated – without taking his eyes from the spot, lekku shivering in admiration – “I hope to be as fast as Master Skywalker is one day. That would be amazing.”

Rani had to admit to herself that it would be something. To be as good at fighting as Knight Skywalker is, is something worth practicing for!

[Last Youngling]

Ley-lei choked back a sob as her lekku twitched in distress. She was running back down the path she had taken, trying to remember when she had taken that last turn. ‘ _There!’_ she veered down that path only to find that the rocks that she had put in a pattern told her that she was going in circles. ‘ _Okay,’_ she thought, ‘ _I’ll go through the undergrowth and just cut through that way to find the others.’_

So, she did. Not three minutes later, she regretted it. There was a hidden pond with a bunch of lilies hiding the boundaries. Ley-lei discovered that fact by tripping over a root and falling in. She tried to remember her lessons, tried to get to the surface, but Ley-lei was so tired, and she was sinking. She was scared and she didn’t want to die –

Something big splashed into the water close to her. A presence, one she didn’t know wrapped around her, just as a limb wrapped itself around her waist. A surge of movement and she was breaking the surface of the water. Gasping and sobbing in huge gulps of air, Ley-lei could only splay limp, in the hold the Jedi had her in.

She knew it had to be a Jedi because only a Jedi would have known where to find her. As the Jedi moved their one arm hold to two arms, Ley-lei found the strength to wrap her arms around the neck? Yes, the Jedi was a human, with shoulder-length hair. A wind and a splash later, Ley-lei knew that they were back on solid land. They must be pretty strong to jump out of the water and land feet first on land. Her eyes finally clearing enough to see who the Jedi actually was, she froze. A dripping wet Anakin Skywalker was cradling her to his chest as they both shivered from the cold.

Looking down at her, a “Hey,” she wanted to be back in the pond; Ley-lei was so embarrassed. The only thing worse than this scenario would be if Master Kenobi had been there. A huff a breath and a tightening embrace, Master Skywalker started walking, the plants getting out of his way with nothing but the Force. Ley-lei shivered and burrowed into Master Skywalker’s equally soaked robes. She didn’t look up until she heard a strange giggle. Startled, she looked up.

There, in a thick nest of blankets were the others of her creche. It looks like Tamzir was trying to burrow and hibernate against the cold. The others were drinking from steaming cups that smelled like different kinds of broth. Master Skywalker put her down and Erikoni handed her a bowl of what looked like bean broth. Still shivering and an embarrassed flush still burning her cheeks, Ley-lei sipped on the broth.

Master Skywalker hadn’t joined them in the nest. Instead, he was fiddling with his com, typing away to something. She looked down and continued sipping her broth. She was near done with her cup, when Master Skywalker looked up from whatever he was doing on the com and said, “There’s a little used fresher nearby, complete with old fashion water showers and drying appliances. Moe and Toe will be there soon with towels and dry clothes for everyone. If everyone is finished, we will all go as a group.” He sounded gentle, but firm.

Ley-lei looked down at her cup. Her embarrassment and now-shame were making her stomach hurt. She teared up as she drained the cup – no wasting food, ever – and got up with the rest of the younglings. As one – except Humon and Tamzir, they got carried – they followed Master Skywalker to the fresher to get cleaned up.


	2. Chapter 2

Anakin carried the toddler Zabrak and the too-cold reptilian youngling, while the others followed behind him. It was about six minutes later that he heard the whistling beeps of Binary. Moe and Toe were waiting for his group with baskets that looked like they were straight from the laundry. Smirking to himself, he Force-pressed on the button for the door as he lifted the baskets from Moe and Toe’s tops. Beeping thanks and asking if they needed anything else. “Please, could you find a small heater and bring it to my nest? And some more food?”

Looking back over his shoulder at the miserable younglings, who were marching into the fresher, he added in Binary, “ _Could you see what the cafeteria has to offer as far as sweets go? The younglings look like they need a few.”_ The two droids beeped as they sped off. Hopefully, he would have everyone cleaned up and tucked into his nest before the droids came back.

Anakin put the children down, telling them to follow him. They obeyed, following him to the bathing area. The other younglings were already cleaning themselves up. Good, but he still had to keep an eye the two that were following him – the toddler because of his age, the other because of his health. If he had gotten too chilled – not likely – he could go into a kind of shock. Taking off his boots, with more Force use. Unfastening them one at a time could be time consuming after all, he left them by the door.

Anakin started a water shower and let the reptilian – with some human in him – go to take a shower, as Anakin boosted the toddler into a sink-like depression and gave the babe a quick bath. The zabrak giggled and splashed in the water. Anakin’s lips quirked in a small smile. But it was over and done with soon enough. He had placed the towels and robes from the baskets beside each of the stalls being used. He knew that some younglings – like himself – could be body shy. Others – again like himself – couldn’t care less.

Anakin snorted to himself, he knew he was an odd one, but that didn’t matter right now. In just ten minutes, everyone, but him, were clean, dry and wearing new clothes. Looking at the clothes, Anakin internally sighed. Clean, white robes – meant for the Healing Halls’ supplies. Hopefully, Vokara Che wouldn’t find out or she might just make _him_ have a prolonged stay in the Healing Halls.

The toddler – he really hoped to learn their names, soon – it felt weird calling them by their race; Anakin handed over to the older younglings and said, “I need to clean up now. If you need to leave, stay close by and together okay?” At their nods, he hurried into a stall with a robe that was too big and a towel floating along behind him. No doubt, if Obi-wan saw this Anakin would be getting Lecture 4: Responsible Use of the Force. Stripping, Anakin didn’t care. Obi-wan wasn’t here and he was _still shivering_ from _the ice bath_ he had gotten when he saved the tiny twilek. The hot water that poured over him darn well made him ooze to the floor. It felt so good. But he didn’t have time to waste and it was wasting water. A quick scrub and rinse, quick grab the towel and towel off the moisture still clinging to him, drape the towel over his head, grab the robe and put it on.

Pulling the privacy screen away, he stepped out of the stall to see where the younglings had gone to. They were still in the room, and that was when he spotted them. The younglings had gathered by the door where all their footwear was and were trying to see if they could fit into his boots. It was too cute.

[Rani]

She watched as Chaibanna try to put on Knight Skywalker’s boots. Though she was the closest in fitting into the boots, Rani didn’t think Chaibanna would be able to walk in them. Humon had started it. He had pouted when he found out that the boot was as tall as him. Erikoni was the second biggest in their group and they had found out that even he wasn’t tall enough: the boot came all the way up to his ribs, while it was unfastened.

Chaibanna growled lightly, the boots came up to her mid-thigh. A snort behind them made everyone jump. Whirling, they saw Knight Skywalker with a bundle of dirty clothes and there was something wrong with his right arm. Looking again, Rani saw – to her horror – that Knight Skywalker’s right arm was a prosthetic. Judging by the intakes of breath around her, Rani wasn’t the only one.

Knight Skywalker seemed puzzled, then as his eyes followed their line of vision, he grimaced. “I need to do maintenance on it. There’s something jamming and some parts are too worn for practical use.” That was all. Gesturing for them to go and look at the other basket, set down on the other side of the door – they had left it alone. So, they did and found sock-boots: thin things that had a spongy bottom that could be made to fit any foot by attached strings.

Putting them on, they found a bigger pair of sock-boots at the bottom. Picking them up, Erikoni braced himself and then brought them over to Knight Skywalker. He had been putting the dirty laundry into the basket that the robes and towels had originally come in. Rani looked over at Marinea and together they took the newly emptied basket to get everyone’s footgear. They had to show Knight Skywalker that they would help.

They had finished putting them away in the basket when they heard Humon squeal. Looking over, both of them saw that Knight Skywalker had finished putting the sock-boots on and was now hoisting Humon in his arms. Humon was now perching on his left arm and was poking Knight Skywalker’s right hand. Rani saw the look on Knight Skywalker’s face. She wished he were their creche master. Master Dea Ni is a good Jedi, but there was something different about Knight Skywalker.

[Anakin]

He sighed to himself as the group left the fresher. The cool breeze was a little colder to their recently wet bodies. At least the reptilian one was completely dry and covered with three towels. Anakin led them all back to his nest. There he wrapped each young one in a different blanket. The younglings were all looking at his arm and trying to not look like they were. Sitting cross-legged down, Anakin brought over his maintenance kit. Looking up, Anakin quietly said, “I have to remove my arm. You can look away. There is no shame in it.”

The two human girls closed their eyes as did the toddler. The others looked on as he turned the neuron net off and disconnected his arm. It always stung and it was a little more painful getting reconnected, but it would only take a little time and could save lives later down the road. So, he gave no indication of his hurt and put his arm on his lap.

Digging around his kit, he took out a special multi-tool. He could feel all the younglings looking on now, but he gave no sign of knowing that. They’d either look away or watch and not be too disgusted – as some of the other Jedi his own age were. Opening the panel that spanned the entire forearm section, Anakin began to look for the problems.

[Ley-lei]

Ley-lei watched as Master Skywalker worked on his prosthetic arm, shame curling in her insides. She had heard that the Hero with No Fear wasn’t sound in mind or body anymore. Everyone in the Order had known about Padawan Tano and her leaving. Most of the Jedi she had heard talking about it, seemed to think that Master Skywalker had been the one who had finally driven her away. Others said that Padawan Tano was just hurting and needed some time away from the insanity that was her Knight-Master. They said that Master Skywalker now looked as damaged on the outside as he was already hurt on the inside.

Ley-lei hadn’t understood and part of her felt like she still didn’t, why the other Jedi would talk about one of their own like that. Her thoughts circled around in her mind like a prowling nexu going through sludge. ‘ _If he was such a danger, why wasn’t he sent to the mind healers? If he was as arrogant and uncaring of others as they say he is, then why did he dive into the pond to rescue me? Why help us? Why not turn us over to the Padawans who were watching us?’_

Something was wrong, but Ley-lei couldn’t figure it out. Master Skywalker was one of the greatest Generals who served the GAR. He hardly ever lost a battle or campaign. He was strong and fast and –

And was adding something to the prosthetic as a song seemed to flow through the air. It wasn’t like anything she had ever heard before, but she liked it anyway. There were words, but Ley-lei didn’t understand them. She could see out of the corner of her eye, that the others were listening just as hard.

“There,” she jumped a little at the sound of the non-musical word that came out of Master Skywalker’s mouth. But she didn’t say anything. She didn’t look away when Master Skywalker rolled up the robe’s right sleeve to relieve his stump and with one fluid motion, jammed the prosthetic on. She saw him wince – just a little – and closed his eyes tightly for a minute. Breathing heavily, he reclined back onto a tree with sprawling branches on the ground **[AN: think live oak]** that acted as a side prop for some of the nest that they were in.

[Anakin]

‘ _Kriff, kriff, kriffing kriff!’_ Anakin was hurting and he just wanted to take a nap. But there were seven younglings with him, and he could hear the echo of Kix’s threat in his mind. A series of beeping made him open his eyes to see Moe and Toe had enlisted some help in getting what they had brought to him. By the etchings and paint jobs, Anakin could tell Belli, Telli, and Lori – along with Moe and Toe – had engaged their hover board technology and was carrying – he snorted as he saw the even bigger picnic basket than he had already brought. But he didn’t mind. There might be more sweets in there that they all could have, rather than some of the pastries that he knew at least Togrutas couldn’t have.

He sat up a little, still letting his arm readjust to the reattachment process. The droids hovered over the middle of the nest and slowly lowered the basket. Retracting their pincers, the quintet of droids grabbing the empty broth containers and such like, putting it in the basket that they had originally come in. The new trio broke off – beeping about dirty laundry baskets. Moe and Toe beeped – basically telling him that if he needed anything else, just call, they were going to recharge for now. Anakin thanked them in Binary as they flew away, no doubt to help the trio with the baskets and then go recharge.

Looking down at the younglings, Anakin gestured to the big picnic basket, “Lets eat.”


	3. Chapter 3

Anakin watched as the younglings picked through their picnic basket and selected a few things for themselves. Only after they were eating, did he look in the basket and picked up a Correllian plum. Eating it, reminded him of simpler times, when it was just Obi-wan and him doing missions and training. It hadn’t been pleasant or fun for the most part, but it had been simpler. There were no sieges, no mass terrorist plots against the entire Republic, no missing family, or friends. Anakin stopped eating and set the plum down as his eyes went into the distance. That last thought had rung false. Definitely rang false, why?

[Erikoni]

He watched the legend out of the corner of his eye as he nibbled on the medium-rare bantha steak. Erikoni frowned slightly as Master Skywalker stopped eating and just stared. He looked like he was searching for something. But what? That is when it occurred to Erikoni that no one had said their names. That’s probably what Master Skywalker was trying to think of. He felt kind of embarrassed. He knew that Jedi Generals were in high demand and were hardly ever at home anymore, so how could any of them expected him to know their names?

Erikoni finished the steak piece he had been chewing on and said, “Erikoni.”

[Anakin]

“Erikoni”

The sound jerked him from his thoughts, that were spiraling down into some really depressing subjects. Anakin’s eyes snapped to the young Togruta and near barked a startled “What,” but restrained himself at the last minute. Instead, he tilted his head in inquiry. The youngling drew a deep breath and said, “My name is Erikoni.”

Anakin repeated, “Erikoni?” The little one nodded. Anakin smiled – the one Padme drew so easily – “It is a pleasure to meet you, Erikoni. My name is Anakin.” As he brought the plum back up to his lips and took a bite, Anakin saw the other younglings’ glances in startlement at one another. The little Twi’lek flushed and near stuttered, “My name is Ley-lei.” The Zabrak toddler piped up in the cutest little squeak he had ever heard “Humon”.

The young wookie, “Chaibanna”, and the first human girl he had found, “Marinea,” introduced themselves next. The young reptile-like youngling only looked shamefaced and tried to sign to him. The other human girl, “Rani,” tried to say that “Tamzir” couldn’t speak yet. According to her, Tamzir had temporarily lost his voice from being sick.

[Tamzir]

He knew that Rani was trying to help, but he still felt a little betrayed. How could she? Why was she showcasing that he was so weak that he couldn’t fight off a little cold? That he was so weak that he would be a liability on missions? That – “Oh, I remember those days,” Master Sky – no Anakin – grimaced, Master Anakin’s bright eyes looked directly into his, “Don’t worry kid, I still get pneumonia if I’m not careful.” ‘ _What?’_

Master Anakin continued, despite the no doubt stupid look on his face, “Yep, I was probably the sickest, slowest, most un-jedi like padawan there ever was.” His eyes closed as he shook his head. “But, no doubt, you all have heard those stories.” Tamzir hadn’t heard any stories. He had heard rumors of the Jedi Knight, the Hero with No Fear. Tamzir hadn’t heard about Master Anakin being sick. So, Tamzir, like Erikoni earlier did, braced himself and signed his question. Rani piped up “Tamzir wants to know what you meant. Weren’t you in the creche, before becoming a padawan?”

Tamzir stifled the urge to thump Rani. She didn’t need to translate everything. Master Anakin surely knew Temple Sign. Master Anakin’s eyes dulled, making him think that he had accidentally insulted Master Anakin. Then in a quiet voice, Master Anakin began to tell them a story.

“Once, many years ago now, there lived a woman. Her name was Shmi.”

[Obi-wan]

He was waiting in the Council Chamber with the rest of the Jedi Council. Obi-wan could sense that everyone was getting quite irritated. No doubt, they could sense both his irritation and embarrassment. After all, Anakin’s seat was empty. And had been empty for the last hour. Most of the time had been in finishing up their paperwork for their different battalions. Now, they were waiting, getting less patient with every passing minute.

It was Kit Fisto who broke the waiting silence, “I don’t think that Knight Skywalker is coming. Should we continue with the meeting without him here or should we disband for the time being?” Mace Windu, with his – what the temple as a whole called – “Skywalker Special” scowl, said, “Let us disband until Knight Skywalker can be located.” The unspoken “and then he will answer for being absent for this meeting without notification,” was heard by everyone in the room.

Obi-wan sighed to himself. ‘ _There goes another strike to your record, Anakin,’_ he thought to the bond that connected Anakin to himself. As of late, the bond was silent, not the thrumming strand as strong as durasteel, as bright as a kyber crystal. Thinking on it, as he hadn’t really done deeply enough, Obi-wan realized that the bond hadn’t been really strong since before – Obi-wan winced to himself – before the Rako Hardeen and Trial Fiascos. The more Obi-wan thought about it, he came to think that the bond had actually started to weaken before that.

“Master Kenobi?” Obi-wan startled at of his thoughts, looked up to see Plo Koon and Mace Windu standing near his seat. Both were looking at him with some concern. Obi-wan smiled slightly to help ease their minds. “Don’t worry, friends, I was trying to Feel for Anakin.”

Mace’s face twitched, Plo calmly prompted, “Did you locate him?” Obi-wan shook his head, “Either he is shielding heavily from me, asleep or too far away.”

“Try to comm him, did you?” All the Council was still there started and turned to the seat that Grandmaster Yoda usually sat in. A holo-image showed there now. Yoda was on his way to another battlefield, not yet there. An embarrassed silence lasted for a moment before Obi-wan cleared his throat as he pulled out his comm. Pressing on it, Anakin’s number was the first one programed into the thing since they were on missions together so much, Obi-wan waited until he heard it connect “Anakin –,” a miniature image of an Anakin Skywalker in full irked mode appeared.

“Hello, there. You have reached me, Master, but have not reached me. If you are in a life and death situation, please know that I will be there soon and have no time to waste answering the comm right now, since I am currently running to pull your flirting _shebs_ out of whatever _haran_ bikini you got yourself into now. If we are not on a battlefield somewhere, please know that I am probably somewhere far away from our fellow Jedi, who are – towards me anyway – complete pipes in the skughole. If you have nothing to say that I haven’t heard over seven times in the past, please don’t leave a message for me. I won’t get it. I have filtered out anything that you have said or repeated before. It saves on storage space. That said, leave the message after the curse. _E chu ta!_ ”

A heavy silence fell over the entire Council. Everyone – even Yoda, with his ears almost vertical – is staring at the flushing Obi-wan Kenobi and the comm held in his hand. Kit – having the easiest sense of humor – snorted. “Well, that was –,” the miniature image of Anakin popped up again and said, “Snips, if this is you, call using your number. Rex, if it is you, you know better. If this is anyone BUT Obi-wan – or the lovely Angel – please kindly jump in a Sarlacc Pit, headfirst. Obi-wan – I don’t know what number we are on, but whatever you think it is, is an additional one in my head, because Cato Neimodia certainly does count!”

Silence. Pure, unadulterated silence. Obi-wan felt like he was going to combust from sheer mortification and irritation at the stunt that Anakin had just pulled. The silence lasted for another minute before Yoda started cackling. Some of the other councilors coughed, but all present radiated amusement, except for Mace. Mace was massaging his temples and looked about two deep breaths away from hunting down Anakin and wiping the salles with him. Obi-wan would have been right behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

Padme sighed in slight aggravation. The Supreme Chancellor had asked her to pass along an invitation to the Mon Cala Opera for the following night. The Chancellor’s reasoning of Anakin being in charge of his security made it seem reasonable. But truly, there was plenty of other things and activities that Ani could be doing otherwise that could help with the war effort at worst and at best, getting healthier habits, like sleeping a night through! Sighing, Padme looked down at the now massive baby bump.

Unconsciously smiling to herself, Padme placed a hand gently on the curve. Her baby boy – no matter what Anakin said about a daughter, she knew better – kicked heartily. Chuckling to herself, Padme told her son, “You are going to be just like your daddy, aren’t you? His love of flying, his eyes and with how big you are now, you’re going to have his height. You’ll dwarf your poor mother soon enough.” A ringing coming from her comm console distracted her from her thoughts. By the secondary ringing, it was from the Jedi Temple, but not from Ani.

Sitting down in her lounging chair that helped disguise the massive clue to her current state, she turned on the comm. Obi-wan Kenobi in miniature appeared. Padme raised an eyebrow in inquiry. Obi-wan – an old friend of hers – looked the Jedi equivalent of homicidal. “What did the Council do this time?”

Obi-wan lost the look of calm murder and gained one of startlement. “Obi-wan, if you are about to ask me why I ask, I will be obligated to ask you when your last mental examination was overdue.” Several snorts were heard from Obi-wan’s side of the call. No doubt, he was blushing; it wasn’t easy to tell if he was, because everything was glowing blue in various shades and shadows. Obi-wan cleared his throat and said in a tone of voice that meant he was trying to will a blush down, “No, I was wondering if you have seen Anakin recently. He missed today’s Council session and is not responding to the com call from anyone.”

Padme straightened up and leveled an unimpressed stare at Obi-wan. “Obi-wan Kenobi, do you honestly expect Anakin Skywalker to like sitting in a room full of people – who have betrayed what trust and respect he had for them – and have them completely snub him, for hours on end?” The look of startled, slightly offended one that Obi-wan showed, just made the – what Padme secretly think inspired by her husband – blunt clue-by-four she was about to smack verbally between Obi-wan’s ears all the more satisfying. She went on.

“Anakin is exhausted. I ran into Medic Kix and Captain Rex earlier today at the Senate building. According to them, Anakin is on the brink of collapse. Maybe even suffering long-term damage from some frankly appalling circumstances. He is under medic’s orders to rest. Rest and try to eat something so that he doesn’t follow in his old master’s footsteps of being a rather handsome skeleton with an ‘oh I am fine, please ignore all the signs that say otherwise, please and thank you’ mentality.”

A hooting laugh was heard on the other side of the comm. It wasn’t Obi-wan, because his jaw was hanging open and his body language stated rather blatantly that he regretted calling her. ‘ _Too bad,’_ Padme thought with a touch of acid. She knew that her hormones were making her feel some truly awful mood swings, but this had to be done. ‘ _Better to hear it from me, rather than poor Ani. Ani might just suffer a complete mental breakdown if he had to tell the Council how bad they are screwing everyone over.’_ It used to be that Padme would support the Jedi as much as she could. That was before she had seen what they had done to Ashoka, let alone what they had done to her poor Ani.

Taking a deep breath, Obi-wan straightened up slightly and stated rather flatly, “Senator Amidala, if that were truly the case, shouldn’t Anakin be in the Healing Halls, where he can be treated? It makes no sense why he wouldn’t be there if he were ill.” Padme didn’t think she had heard that right. Did Obi-wan really expect – “Obi-wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker wouldn’t willing go into the Healing Halls ever since they denied his requested surgery over a decade ago.”

Someone asked, “What surgery?” It sounded like the Kel Dor Jedi – Plo Koon, Padme believed – and he actually sounded concerned. Obi-wan said, “Yes, what surgery? I was never told that Anakin requested a surgery.”

Padme froze. For a moment, she just stared at Obi-wan. She couldn’t feel her face, but whatever he was reading from it, made Obi-wan look alarmed. A voice, sounding again like Plo Koon, said, “I have the medical records for the last twenty years. Anakin Skywalker did put in a request for a surgery. He wouldn’t give the reason why and Healer Gallied recorded that “ _Padawan Skywalker refuses to state a reason for the request to the receptionist. It is believed that he was using the request to visit with his Jedi Master Obi-wan Kenobi after visiting hours are over. This is the fifth time he has visited to make the request and has been denied. Any further requests for surgery will be denied as seen as a waste of data storage and time.”_ ”

A silence pause occurred after the quote. Obi-wan looked almost thunderstruck. Padme took in a deep breath and said, in a voice that she usually reserved for when she was dealing with Nute Gunray, “You have no idea at all. Any of you. Congratulations on being some really insensitive oblivious **_masters_**.” A slight murmur of protests started up. Padme talked over them. On top of hormones, the bantha shit that was the Senate’s business, and her Ani’s poor health; she was over it all and had no patience for Jedi platitudes.

“Since you have not in your infinite wisdom,” she hissed – causing Obi-wan to near drop the com he had been holding and for the protesting Jedi to shut their ignorant traps – “discovered what is truly occurred, I will spell it out for you.”

[Anakin]

Anakin was near hoarse from speaking for so long. He took a sip of water and continued to tell the story of his mother and his people. “When Teacher Qui-gon Jinn gambled on me to win the podrace, he made a second bet with Watto. He had wanted to free both of us, but Watto wouldn’t do it. They played a dice game and Qui-gon won, so if I won, I would be Qui-gon’s rather than Watto’s.”

[Chaibanna]

Anakin had a nice voice. But all the good sounding choirs wouldn’t have stopped her from feeling horror and anger. Horror for what had happened to Anakin – Chaibanna couldn’t think the word ‘Master’ right now without a shudder – and anger at the slavers. She hoped that she could meet Shmi one day. She sounded like an amazing woman.

[Tamzir]

Anakin had been a slave. That fact seemed to rattle around in his brain. Anakin had been a slave. The thought of slavery was supposed to be in the history scrolls as a horrible thing that was abolished centuries ago. Tamzir was having a difficult time processing the story he was being told.

[Ley-lei]

She was cuddling up to Anakin, tears pouring from her eyes. Ley-lei could feel an all-consuming pain radiating from Anakin. She knew that whatever to come next was going to be bad. But even though the agony coming from Anakin felt like cold ice, he was comforting her with an arm around her shoulders; hugging her as if to shield her from what was to come next.

[Rani]

Rani didn’t remember her parents. She wondered if her mother had been like Shmi. She wondered if her father could have been like Anakin. Would they approve of her being a Jedi? She wondered.

[Humon]

Cuddling up to Master Anakin’s side, on the other side to Ley-lei, he tried to stay awake. He was tired and Master Anakin’s voice was soothingly deep. Humon couldn’t concentrate. He fell asleep with Master Anakin’s holding him.

[Marinea]

Marinea listened to Master Skywalker with a silent fear and downright horror. She wanted to find a mind healer that she had talked to when she got to the Temple. She wanted to scream and run. The story that Master Skywalker was telling her was horrific. No person should have to go through that. No one.

[Erikoni]

Trembling with excitement, he listened. Listening, hoping for a happy ending. Listening, hoping to hear how the Order was fighting slavery, even as they fought in the War. The thought of those filthy slavers made his montrals quiver with rage. He wanted to hunt them down and make them pay for every tear that came from an ex-slave’s eye.

[Anakin]

Even as he told the tale, Anakin wondered if he shouldn’t. Should he shield these youngsters from the horrors that was slavery and those who traded in flesh and tears? Should he try to gloss over the atrocity that was his past? But even as he wondered about these doubts, Anakin felt the Force whisper no. Anakin understood the answer.

The Jedi as a whole had turned its back on the slaves everywhere. Had become complicit with the atrocity, had become slavers themselves. The older generations – every single one of the ones he had spoken to – had all given him lectures on letting go of his attachments. To let go of his worries and fears and rage over all the injustice. They, especially the ones his own age, had made him shamed of his background. Shamed at what had been done to him and his family. Perhaps the tale of a slave woman was not a good one for younglings as young as this, but they should know.

Ashoka should have known, but he had wanted to shield her from the knowledge and keep his past to himself. That was before the war had gotten so bad. Before the alliance with the Hutts and the mission to Zygerria. That was before she had left. Ashoka probably wouldn’t ever know all the things that had been done to him and his mother, probably not even the things he was telling these younglings. Even as he thought about these facts, Anakin Skywalker, son of Shmi Skywalker, continued, “The day of the race dawned…”


End file.
